Sorry for inconvenience Chapter 9

Sharp at five women left the office. Akhil was not in the town and the kids were having holiday, as the President of their school had decided to bid adieu to the world. Ashmi had a dinner date planned with Mathias and Laily was babysitting kids at her place.

The women had some tea and snacks after she parked the car. ‘Girls, get ready fast,’ she yelled as she entered the house.

‘Can I take my collection of Barbies? I want to play with Natasha,’ asked Rhea referring about Laily’s daughter.

 ‘Mom, I want to carry my painting book too?’ Rhea chipped in.

‘But darling, you are going only for the evening. I will get you back home,’ she tried to convince her.

‘Yes mom, but this is my back up plan,’ interjected the younger one in case you don’t turn up.

The older one also carried her painting book.

‘Girls, time to go,’ chirped Laily.

‘Yes, we are coming,’ said the girls in unison. And before Laily could reach till the car, they were already there.

Laily would have just driven for five minutes when her mobile rang. ‘What the heck, now why is she calling me?’ she muttered.

‘Hello..now what?’ she hissed.

‘Oh! Just wait for a minute there. Melissa will join you otherwise girls are going to disturb you. Anyway, it’s Friday and I know you enjoy your drink,’ Ashmi was at her explanatory best.

‘Shut up woman! You want to call Mathias at home, because you are scared going anywhere and you don’t want to drive alone at night.’ Laily filled in the blanks.

 ‘That’s what good friends are for. They know before you speak,’ completed Ashmi and disconnected.

 Melissa joined the girls and Ashmi felt the privacy in her home after a long time.

Freedom from the maid can be an exhilarating experience too and she was going to make most of the solitude.

She rang Mathias.

‘Yes, baby we are meeting today, but not at IBIS near Genpact. You come to my home, and I will cook dinner for you,’ she narrated the change in plan, the moment he said hello.

‘Why? What about your kids?’ he asked completely amazed at her audacity.

‘The girls have gone with Laily, she is baby sitting them,’ she said.

‘And what about the maid?’ he wanted to be sure.

‘She has also gone with the kids,’ she said.

‘Okay. Someone is alone at home,’ he teased her.

‘You didn’t tell me still, what you would like to eat?’ Ashmi said in an endearing voice that was used for Akhil 15 years ago. Now both of them would prefer to stay silent or send cryptic, terse messages. Messages desensitize the speech, because there is no tone. You just don’t know the feeling of the person, and by the way when was the last time I felt for him. ‘I just couldn’t place it,’ she thought. The thoughts tumbled in her mind while Mathias sorted the dinner menu for her, ‘I like home cooked yellow dal, potato fry, hot steaming rice and raita.’

 It’s pretty simple to cook, she thought because there was no beloing roti involved, which she couldn’t do even after 15 years of marriage. 

‘See you at 8,’ she said.

‘Correction,’ said the voice on the other end. I am coming at 7.00. 

‘Come soon, I am waiting,’ she said before she hung up.

In fifteen minutes time the simple meal menu was organized and done. What do you expect, when three gadgets work simultaneously: rice cooker, pressure cooker and a wok. The raita was from the morning, with fresh curd added to it. One look at the watch and the time was 6.20. In the next twenty minutes she tidied the house. All those things that were lying unnecessarily were shoved mercilessly inside the drawers or discarded with vengeance. When it came to throwing things Ashmi was a champion. Akhil would comment, ‘If I don’t pay attention, both me and girls would also be lying outside the house one day.’

Once her Operation Discard was over, she glanced at the watch, still 15 minutes were left.  Quickly she turned on the shower in the bathtub and came out reviving the Body Shop smell that had begun to fade after the morning.

She decided in favour of blue jeans and white Egyptian cotton shirt, one from the lot. Both she and Laily had flicked one for themselves along with the journos after the press meet, and decided to leave her tousled wet curls alone. A bit of kohl and lip gloss wouldn’t hurt. Her freshly scrubbed face was left alone.

Now came the difficult part..WAITING.

It was 7.15 and there was no hint of Mathias. Ashmi rang him, ‘where are you?’

‘I am not able to locate your home,’ he spoke.

‘Still, were are you? There must be something around you,’ she urged.

‘On my left or right,.’ he asked.

The two words flummoxed her. They never made any sense to her. She remembered her directions by the indicator signal of her car.

‘Whatever, tell me?’ she repeated, a bit upset now.

‘On my right is a police station,’ he looked around and said.

‘What’s on your left?’ she asked to get some sense.

‘A liquor vend,’ he said.

‘Thank you, friend, this is Gurgaon, there is a liquor vend on every corner,’ she taunted now ready to give up on directions.

‘How far is your home from here?’ he said to figure at least the distance from where he was.

 ‘I live in Nirvana Country,’ she spoke.

‘Wait let me ask the whereabouts,’ he suggested.

‘Yes, it is pretty well known for the gentry living here,’ the confidence came back in her voice as she spoke.

‘What’s the house number?’

‘ A-11, Block 3.’

‘Okay,’ and the line went silent.

Ten minutes later, door bell rang. Must be Mathias, she thought and ran to open the door. Kids of the neighbours had come, ‘Auntie our football has come to your home, and we want to collect it.’

Okay, go ahead, she answered.

One of the older kids while retreating with the football commented, ‘Auntie looks hot today!’

 Ashmi overheard it. She stiffened once again and was too inclined to fix her vodka. Anyway, it was Friday night. And she didn’t want to call Mathais and find where he was taking turn in circles?  She lit her favourite aroma candles and sank in the ottoman with her vodka, just when she was about to turn the TV on, the doorbell rang once again. Ashmi opened the door and saw Mathias standing. This was their second meeting in flesh and blood.

‘Finally, you reached,’ she said as she ushered him in.

‘Yes, dear,’ he said and sat on the sofa.

Ashmi locked the door. Mathias surveyed the scene.

‘Wow! You are having vodka,’ he commented.

‘Yes, chilling on Friday evening. What would you like to have? Why don’t you have a look at the bar yourself?’ she suggested.

 ‘Sounds a good idea,’ he nodded in agreement and got up to survey Akhil’s well stocked bar.

‘What took you so long? Oh! I must have crossed your home thrice, was going around in circles,’ he said.

‘I guessed so,’ she said.

‘I would like to have Jack Daniels on rocks,’ he said.

‘I will get your drink,’ she offered and served crackers on cheese to go with it.

‘What were you watching?’ he questioned with the first sip.

‘Nothing, just turned the TV on. Anyway, I watch old time songs,’ she spoke.

‘Where are the kids?’ he questioned.

‘They are at Laily’s place,’ she said.

‘That means, she knows that I will be here,’ he demanded to know as the words sank in.

‘I don’t hide anything from her, even the ones that I hide from Akhil are bared before her,’ she answered.

Mathias scanned the drawing room. It was nicely done. Moments of happiness were plastered all over the wall. ‘You love candles,’ he noted.

‘Yes, I do. Here is your drink,’ she said as she extended her hand to him and your crackers too.

He pulled her and made her sit next to her.  

‘You are crossing limits,’ she admonished.

You must have worked in ration store at some point of time, he said.

She was taken back. Why?

You are keen to ration everything in life, measured in the right proportion, he said.

Ashmi laughed. A genuine laugh and Mathias joined her.

Let me take you through the house, she suggested.

It was a well done home and Ashmi took pride in it. Mathias wasn’t interested. He was famished. ‘Is the dinner ready?’ He was famished. He didn’t have lunch.

She served food. He ate hungrily.

‘You cook well, after ages I am eating home cooked food,’ he said between mouthfuls of food.

‘Well, it’s all about practice. Akhil makes sure that I cook every day,’ she said. The statement sounded like a complaint to her ears too. ‘Well, he enjoys my culinary skills,’ she added hastily and got up to clear the dishes. As she put them in the sink, she felt a pair of lips sinking at the nape of her neck. She froze. She had to admonish him. It wasn’t right. But, it felt so good! Are lust and love separate from each other?

‘Stop it,’ she forced to speak and turned around.

‘I will not, we are not doing anything. A kiss is fine. Grow up Ashmi, we are adults,’ he said.

 ‘Mathias you are crazy. You will complicate our lives completely.’ She was still snuggled to him. It felt safe. He towered over her petite frame. He cradled her in his arms and made her sit in Akhil’s ottoman. Then, he carefully pushed errant strands of hair away from her face. He held her face in his hands gingerly, as if she was fragile, and looked in the deep pool of her eyes.

The first time I saw you at Park Plaza, your eyes spoke to me. They convey sadness. I wish to erase all your worries.

Gently, he kissed the top of her eyelids. She quivered. For the first time, a man other than Akhil was close to her. But, it felt good.

And then, he kissed her lips. Her eyes were closed. She was savourig every bit of it. Her lips trembled at his touch. She parted it delicately. He was waiting for it. He deepened the kiss. She was walking on the clouds.

The shrill door bell disrupted the tempo.

‘Who can be at this hour?’ Mathias asked.

‘Who can be right now?’ Ashmi repeated.

‘Stop repeating,’ he hissed.

 ‘I don’t know,’ she answered all frightened and got up to look through the key hole.

‘Akhil is here. Now what do I do?’ she said.

Mathias tried to hide inside the bed.

‘Stop it, you are too tall for it,’ she scolded. Within seconds, she thought of a plan.

‘You sit here in the drawing room and watch the TV and behave as if you can’t speak,’ she said.

‘Why? Stop asking questions. Just do as I say,’ she ordered taking charge of the situation.

 Akhil rang once again a bit impatiently. ‘Where is she when the lights are on?’ he wondered. Her phone rang. She picked it.

‘Why aren’t you opening the door?’ He hollered on her face with the handset glued to his ears, as she had opened the door.

Akhil entered and Ashmi gave him a glass of water.

Mathias sat like a statue as directed, watching the TV dutifully. Akhil looked at her with an expression that said, ‘Who is he and what is he doing at my home and how can he watch my TV?’

 Ashmi mumbled a silent prayer to all the gods that she knew vowing to get out of this mess. She said, ‘One of my kitty friends had gone for shopping and he is her distant cousin. The poor guy had come to meet her without informing her while she was shopping at Metropolitan, as today was his last day in the town. He works for a government bank and had come here with his group of friends. She called me and asked to let him stay for a while, as she is rushing back home.’

‘Hi’ Akhil said.

Ashmi locked her eyes with Mathias to remind him that he had to stay quiet.

‘Well, he has problem with speech,’ she answered.

‘May be this is why, he can’t inform your friend,’ Akhil thought aloud.

‘Then, how did she know at DT Mega Mall that he has come to meet her,’ he enquired.

‘Oh! simple, he texted her,’ she answered at the fraction of a second.

‘He can’t speak, Akhil,’ she reiterated.

The queries had subsided now, because at the mention of physical disability, Akhil’s attitude had mellowed.

‘By the way, you were supposed to come tomorrow,’ she asked.

‘You didn’t like my coming early,’ Akhil joked.

‘Nopes, I loved it and today, kids are not at home either,’ she said conspiratorially, which Mathias listened to.

He wrote a note. ‘I am leaving,’ and picked up his car keys to go.

 Akhil while fixing his single malt wondered, ‘Can dumb people drive?’

 Ashmi furnished the unfinished lot of crackers with cheese to Akhil as he pulled her in his lap and hugged her tightly.

I am famished, he said.

‘Dinner is ready. Your favourite, how did you know?’ he demanded.

‘Telepathy,’ she answered.

The phone rang in the other room. Ashmi ran to pick it, wondering if Mathias had called.

Akhil drained his glass and got up to put it in the sink. Along with the tall glass of vodka lied an ignored cut glass tumbler with a bit of unfinished Jack Daniel’s. He sniffed the contents.

‘That dumb ass drank my Jack Daniel’s!’ he shouted.

‘Oh! No, you are so mean,’ she explained.

The poor guy didn’t even have anything.

Me and Laily were relaxing on a Friday evening, she said and sealed his lips with the kiss. Akhil fell for it. A whole lot of unfinished task had to be completed. Dinner could wait…..